Have I mentioned that I was recently laid –off. Well I was just last month and it really made me think and a tad bit annoyed to be truthful. See for the last 7 years I have been working from home, tele-commuting for 2 different employers which worked out great.
When I quit my last office job it was because between neurologist’s appointments for my sons and taking our daughter who was diagnosed with failure to thrive to what seemed like an appointment or test at least every other week it was just too much but I made it work alternating with my husband. We made it work but then there came the time when I had to choose between my kids or my job. Luckily my daughter finally started to grow and thrive and today is an amazing almost 9 year old. She is still a little shorter than her classmates but she is super smart.
The last straw at my office job was when I had made an appointment 6 months earlier with a pediatric GI doctor for my daughter and my work had written notice for it ; they decided to have some of my customers come in to the office for a tour. This is the same job I had for the previous seven years so you would think that would have meant something. When my supervisor made that decision to invite the customers in and make me stay there. He revoked my approved time-off the day before the appointment and so now after 6 months I was not going to be able to take her?
I took my lunch that day and called my husband I explained to him what was going on and why I sounded so upset. Then I gave him the heads up I was soon to be unemployed because I was not going to miss this doctor’s appointment. Luckily for me I have a very understanding husband he told me to do whatever I needed to do. When I came back from lunch I told my supervisor that I was going to take my daughter to her appointment and so I chose my children over my job.
Why are there not more protections available for parents like me? Why is it that employer can legally do this to their employee? I really wish that government would step in on this. I know you are probably thinking the government is too involved with so many other things but there are so many children out there with special needs their parents need to be protected.